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Sinti and Roma Genocide Remembrance Day. 81st anniversary of the liquidation of the Roma camp in Auschwitz.
Eighty-one years ago, on the night of 2 to 3 August 1944, the Germans liquidated the so-called "family camp for Gypsies" (Zigeunerfamilienlager) in Auschwitz II-Birkenau. Approximately 4,300 individuals, including children, women, and men, who were the last Roma prisoners of the camp, were murdered in gas chambers.
2 August is observed in Poland as the Day of Remembrance for the Genocide of the Sinti and Roma. The ceremony was attended by representatives of state authorities, ambassadors, local authorities, as well as cultural institutions and museums.
Several hundred individuals assembled at the memorial, which commemorates the extermination of the Roma and Sinti, situated at the location of the former German Nazi concentration and extermination camp Auschwitz II-Birkenau, to pay tribute to the victims and lay wreaths.
During the ceremony, two survivors spoke: Edward Debicki and Dieter Flack.
‘I stand before you today as a Romani man, a musician, an artist, and a witness to the history of our nation. I am a survivor of the extermination, and at the age of 91, I am here to share my experience,’ said Edward Dębicki, a poet, accordionist, and curator of Romani culture. ‘Today, I want to address young people in particular. I am passing on the burden of the dark memories I carry within me to you, the younger generation. You must remain vigilant and respond to even the slightest signs of racism so that it does not lead to another tragedy,’ emphasised Dębicki.
Survivor Dieter Flack, whose family managed to escape while his relatives were deported to Auschwitz and murdered in May 1943, addressed young people in his speech: ‘After the Second World War, I often lamented that, as a Sinto, I faced greater challenges in accessing education compared to members of the majority society. I wished I could have studied longer and more deeply. This is why I urge young people to seize every opportunity for further education, learn new languages, and immerse themselves in different countries and cultures. This helps to dispel prejudices and foster a climate of tolerance and acceptance,’ he said.
Roman Kwiatkowski, President of the Association of Roma in Poland, made an important appeal in a similar vein in his speech: ‘Learn from this history. It is your shield. A world without memory is easily swayed by ideologies of contempt. We are not only passing on knowledge about what happened to the younger generation, but more importantly, we are teaching them to recognise the signs of hatred and to have the courage to oppose it.’
‘Memory is our duty and our right. In places like Auschwitz, Lety, Hodonín, Buchenwald, Majdanek, Treblinka, and many others, Roma died simply for being who they were. We must ensure that these sites of remembrance are neither forgotten nor neglected,’ he stated.
‘Today, however, I am particularly worried about something else. Crowds chanting slogans of rejection and hatred have once again taken to the streets of Polish cities, shouting “Stop immigration” and “Poland for Poles.” This is an alarming sign that history is attempting to reopen doors that have been closed for a long time. It is disturbing to see that racist, xenophobic, and discriminatory tendencies are gaining momentum on a global scale,’ he underlined.
During the commemoration event, Roman Kwiatkowski received the Bronze Cross of Merit from the President of the Republic of Poland, Andrzej Duda, in recognition of his outstanding social activism.
Romani Rose, the Chair of the Central Council of German Sinti and Roma, also addressed the audience at the ceremony.
‘Nazi racism led to the dehumanisation we witnessed in the death camps. The racism we face today, such as antigypsyism and antisemitism, is destroying the very fabric of our democratic society. We must stand against this with a humanity that draws its strength from this site of unimaginable horror and utter despair. Auschwitz must never lose its moral authority,’ he said.
In his speech, Rose expressed gratitude to Piotr Cywiński, PhD, the director of the Museum, highlighting the invaluable support they've consistently received from the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum. ‘We owe him a great deal,’ he emphasised.
During his address, the Museum director made reference to one of the Roma children murdered in Auschwitz: ‘This is no ordinary event, since we are gathering at the precise location of this story's setting. Roughly 80 years ago, on this very site, Harry Schmidt, marked with the number Z-5953, born in Berlin in May of 1936, arrived in April of 1943 as part of a large transport of Roma and Sinti individuals, and was killed on 18 December 1943. He was only seven years old. He was one of over 220,000 children who were victims of the crimes committed at Auschwitz’.
‘Our knowledge of his existence is derived from a preserved camp administration document, specifically his death certificate, a testimony of death. The indicated cause of death on this document is fraudulent. The documentation states that the cause of death was attributed to severe exhaustion. This is more likely to occur in an octogenarian than in a seven-year-old. However, our knowledge of his actual life is limited, and the available information is derived solely from this fabricated document,’ he stated.
‘Every year, we revisit this place, fully aware that our world is not perfect. People are increasingly judged based on their origin, religion, or the colour of their passport. In our Europe, equality under the law tends to decrease as one approaches national borders. This is a well-known fact. And we are creating various institutional, cultural, and social ghettos,’ said Piotr Cywiński.
‘What were the ideological causes of Harry Schmidt's death? That information is not present in this document. The events unfolding today are wrong and pose a significant danger. Public spaces are no longer safe. Hate and xenophobia-motivated attacks are becoming more frequent. If we do not wake up, I fear we will again create only false testimonies of death instead of true testimonies of life,’ he emphasized.
‘Auschwitz-Birkenau remains a stark lesson for all of humanity: we must always remain vigilant against persecution and discrimination. Today, as the memories of this crime become increasingly distant for younger generations, the importance of this lesson is greater than ever,” stated Martin Hojsík, Vice-President of the European Parliament.
At the end of the celebrations, wreaths were laid at the Roma and Sinti memorial.
On the day of the anniversary, the Museum released an academic monograph on the fate of the Roma and Sinti in the German Nazi concentration and extermination camp Auschwitz. Its authors are Piotr Setkiewicz, Slawomir Kapralski and Jerzy Dębski.
The history of the Roma victims of the camp is also explored by the online lesson "The Roma in Auschwitz", one of the episodes of the podcast "On Auschwitz", as well as the 7th volume of the educational series Voices of Memory. The Google Cultural Institute website also features an exhibition prepared by the Museum entitled “The Roma in Auschwitz”.
Block 13 at the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum features an exhibition commemorating the extermination of the Roma and Sinti, demonstrating the unique dimension of the Nazi genocide perpetrated against the Roma in German-occupied Europe. The anniversary observances were held in front of the monument commemorating the Roma victims, located in section BIIe of the former Birkenau camp.
